


Frozen Wasteland

by Burgie



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/F, female WoL
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-11 02:09:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20538425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Veronyka escapes her pursuers, but at the cost of everything.





	Frozen Wasteland

Veronyka had been gripping Minfilia's hand tightly ever since Paplaymo had brought down that metal grate between them and him. Even when the others had peeled off, even when Thancred and Y'shtola had gone to hold off the others, she'd still been gripping Minfilia's hand tight enough to hurt. Not that she felt it, not really, not until Minfilia stopped again and Veronyka almost fell to her knees in the ankle-deep water they'd been running through.

"What is it?" Veronyka asked, her ears perked up high to hear anything. Distantly, she could hear a rumble, an aftershock of that first explosion that had sent them nearly falling to their knees. It had come from where they'd left Thancred and Y'shtola, and her heart had ached with worry for them while Minfilia had somehow turned even paler, her blue eyes widening in shock and so hopelessly sad that Veronyka had wanted nothing more than to scoop Minfilia into a teleport and take her far, far away from here. But they didn't have the luxury of the time that it would take to find the aether current, let alone to actually complete the teleport. And there was no telling that there wouldn't be Teledgi's men stationed at every aetheryte. It hurt, to see Minfilia looking so hopeless when usually she was the one to keep moving forward, the one who had all the answers, the one who knew exactly what to do. But Moenbryda's death had shaken her, just as it had shaken all of them. In a moment of weakness, curled in front of the fire back at the Rising Stones with Stormy (just last night, that had been, it felt like lifetimes ago, another universe entirely away from this dank tunnel and the dinner and wine spilled on Nanamo's rug and the accusations of regicide and how Teledgi had pulled the rug out from under them so swiftly, so easily, like it was nothing), Minfilia had admitted as much to Veronyka. That she was lost now, and she didn't know if she could ever find her way back again. Veronyka had placed her hand on Minfilia's cheek, feeling the wetness of a tear, brushing it away, and promised her that they'd think of something, they'd stop the Ascians now that they knew what to do.

Even now, when everything seemed uncertain, when the world was crumbling out from beneath them, their empire in ruins, enemies at their backs and traps around every corner, Veronyka felt almost certain that things would turn out okay, that they'd get out of this. As long as they kept moving. Minfilia's face lit up suddenly, recognition sparking in the depths of those pale blue eyes, and Veronyka gazed at her wonderingly.

"Hydaelyn?" Minfilia asked. Veronyka felt cold creep over her then, for the first time. It would never go away. Minfilia went silent then, listening. "I see."

"What did she say?" Veronyka asked. Distantly, she was aware of Midgardsormr chuckling. He'd been a thorn in her side ever since he'd stripped her of her blessing of Light, leaving her vulnerable, open to attack. Though, Veronyka hadn't worried too much about that until Minfilia had fussed over her. She was okay, she had her spells, her magic, but... but Hydaelyn's blessing had been the only thing keeping her from becoming enthralled by the primals, had been the only thing protecting her from outside forces. Manaward could only do so much, after all.

"I have to stay behind," said Minfilia. Immediately, Veronyka's blood froze in her veins.

"No!" Veronyka blurted, her hand tightening around Minfilia's. "You can't, I'll stay with you. We can fight them off together, I know we can." Veronyka had never been the target of those sad eyes before. Being pinned by them now hurt worse than Garuda's feather dance.

"Would that you could," said Minfilia, giving her a sad, sad smile. "Alas, Hydaelyn said that only I could do this. You must go on ahead, collect what is left, and fight for us."

"Not without you!" said Veronyka, tears in her eyes now, her ears folded back against her head, tail lashing, heart already breaking into a million pieces. "You're our leader, we can't do anything without you."

"Which is precisely why I need to stay behind, I believe," said Minfilia. She gently extricated her hand, but it still hurt like she'd snatched it away. Veronyka snatched her wrist, not caring how desperate she looked. Her friends often said that she had a sixth sense for danger, able to sense the Ascians, able to sense the smaller battles known as fates that popped up around the realm.

"Please don't," said Veronyka, her voice tight. She trembled, a few tears already slipping down her cheeks.

"You will be safe, Veronyka, I promise," said Minfilia. "We will meet again soon, I promise you that." Removing her arm from Veronyka's grip, strong though it was, she placed her hands on Veronyka's cheeks. The kiss should have felt like a promise, and in some ways, it did. But, after everything... it felt more like a goodbye. Much as Veronyka tried to ignore the part of her that thought that. This wasn't goodbye, it was just... a 'see you later'. Minfilia would come back, she always did. Even if Veronyka had to break her out of another Castrum, out of another dimension, even if she had to travel to the World of Darkness, she would do it. She'd do anything to get her back.

"I love you," said Veronyka as Minfilia turned and began to walk away, back through the tunnel, back towards the fighting. The words made her pause, giving Veronyka the briefest, brightest glimmer of hope that maybe that would be enough, maybe her love would be enough to convince Minfilia to come with her, to trust that their friends would be alright.

"I love you too," said Minfilia, giving Veronyka a gentle smile that somehow only added to the heartache, the storm inside her chest. She handed Veronyka the lantern. "I believe you'll be needing this."

"But won't you need it too?" Veronyka asked. "It's dark in here and I can see better in the dark than you can." Her cat's eyes aside, there were the glowing blue orbs hanging from the top that Cid had made for her, the other glowing blue parts of it reflecting in the water, casting faint blue light upon the walls.

"Bear the light, Veronyka," said Minfilia. And, with those parting words, she was gone, her splashing footsteps fading into the distance.

"Minfilia!" Veronyka cried after her, still shaking. There was no answer, but maybe that was a good thing. Closing her eyes for a moment, her body trembling, Veronyka steeled herself. And then, still feeling Minfilia's final kiss, still seeing her retreating in the distance, Veronyka resumed her race through the tunnels. Maybe, if she was fast enough, she could get help and then Minfilia wouldn't have to get hurt.

The tunnel seemed as though it would go on forever, as if mocking her. But then, finally, Veronyka glimpsed stars ahead and came out into the desert. She didn't feel the usual heat from the sunbaked rocks and scorched sand, though. Right now, she didn't even feel the dampness where water had slipped inside of her boots. She could only feel fear.

"Minfilia!" she called again, shaking, straining her ears to hear something, anything. All she could hear was the distant sounds of fighting, the even-more distant sounds of the wildlife around Ul'dah, the ladybugs and tortoises and everything else that Veronyka had once fought. She heard nothing from the tunnel. Turning her back on it felt like giving up, felt like she was tearing a limb from her body. But she had to keep going. It was what Minfilia had asked of her. Stifling a sob, Veronyka turned her back on the tunnel, putting Ul'dah behind her, and ran.

The tears had stopped by the time Veronyka came across a familiar sight on the road. Well, almost familiar- his back was usually straighter, his shoulders not so slumped. But she'd recognise that white hair anywhere, even if she had come to dread it when he'd interrupted her and Minfilia one too many times.

"Alphie?" she called, her voice a little hoarse from crying and from running so far without a drink to soothe her throat. The figure lifted his head, turning to look at her. That cocky smile was gone.

"Veronyka? Praise the Twelve you're safe," said Alphinaud, turning his whole body around to face her. "The others...?" Veronyka closed her eyes against more tears and shook her head, unable to say anything without fear of breaking down. Which she refused to do in front of Alphie. He was probably the same, though, after everything that had happened. Not that he'd ever cry. Veronyka wasn't even sure that he was capable of it. "Ah. I see."

"Just you and me now, I guess," said Veronyka, her voice hoarse. "It's Coerthas and creating the Crystal Braves all over again."

"Don't say that name," said Alphinaud, his voice rough, anger flashing in the depths of his blue eyes. Even in the dark, Veronyka could see it. She could only imagine how shattered he must feel, though he was definitely showing it.

"As long as you don't say hers," said Veronyka, looking at the ground in an attempt to blink away tears. It only resulted in more sliding down her cheeks, though. She wiped them off on the sleeve of her top, sniffling.

"I was thinking of making to Black Brush," said Alphinaud. "That should be reasonably far enough away. I don't think we can go home, though." Veronyka was about to suggest going to her friend's place, maybe her dad's, but she didn't want to risk endangering them.

"That's a bit of a walk," said Veronyka.

"After walking around in Coerthas for weeks, though? This will be easy," said Alphinaud. Veronyka couldn't even muster the strength to roll her eyes at him. It was enough to just put one foot in front of the other, the cold still creeping over her skin.

The sound of a wagon behind them made the two of them freeze, glancing around for a nearby bush to jump into, but it came upon them so swiftly that they couldn't even move, so much as prepare. Veronyka draw her staff, though, the tip of it glimmering with the potential for spells. Until she recognised the man who drove the wagon.

"You!" Veronyka blurted, remembering a man who'd asked why she'd come to Ul'dah so very, very long ago. When she'd still been bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. "You're that guy from the wagon that first brought me here."

"Aye," said the man, giving her a warm smile. "You can put that way, don't worry, I'm not here to harm. I'm here to help. The name's Brendt."

"How did you know where to find us?" Alphinaud demanded, stepping up beside Veronyka.

"Young lass told me to come this way, said I'd come across some young 'venturers what needed 'elp. Looked a lot like you, actually, boy," said Brendt.

"Alisiae?" Alphinaud asked, the tension in his body being replaced by shock. "I-I..."

"Well, hop in," said Brendt. "Afore your pursuers catch up."

Veronyka needed no prompting, though she did glance back along the road as she'd been doing this whole time. Always expecting to see Minfilia, Yda, anyone. The only life she'd seen, though, had been the wildlife.

"All this time, I thought I had to look out for my sister," Alphinaud murmured as he took a seat beside Veronyka. Normally, Veronyka would have shoved him to the other side of the wagon. This time, though, she was just grateful for his presence. "I never thought that she'd look out for me..."

Veronyka barely heard him, her eyes trained on the road behind them, barely even blinking. Not even when her vision became blurry did she take her eyes from that road.

"We're here," Brendt announced finally, and Veronyka realised, with a start, that they'd made it to Black Brush. This was where she'd met Zelda, who'd saved her from the ants back when she'd been so fresh and new to this whole business. If only ants were her biggest problem now. "This is as far as she said to take you, I'm afraid. But I wish you the best of luck. Something tells me you'll need it in the coming days."

"Thank you," said Veronyka, seeing that Alphie had lapsed into an uncharacteristic silence again.

"Anything for the saviour of Eorzea," said Brendt, giving them a wink. Veronyka wished that his words could have warmed her, but they were but a hot breath against a wall of ice.

"Well, now where to?" Alphinaud asked as they disembarked from the wagon. "I've tried contacting everyone, but they're not answering." Veronyka hadn't dared try her linkpearl, fearing either the silence or fearing the sound of it alerting the enemy to the presence of a hiding Scion.

"I don't know," said Veronyka. She hated feeling so helpless, hated not knowing what to do, where to go. But before, that had always been Minfilia's job, knowing where to go. And now...

"I was wondering when you two would get here!" a familiar voice called, and for the first time, Veronyka felt the tiniest spark of warmth. Or maybe that was just the fear leaving her as she rushed over to collide with Cid, burying her head in his shoulder as she threw her arms around him. "Woah, easy there, it's okay, you're safe now."

"Dad," Veronyka sobbed, clinging to him like a lifeline, like the only sure and solid thing in this world.

"Shh, it's okay," Cid murmured, stroking her hair soothingly. "Let's get you two out of here. Sir Aymeric said that you're wanted in Coerthas. Lord Haurchefant has something he needs to tell you."

"Back to the snow we go, I guess," said Alphinaud. The familiar bite of sarcasm wasn't there this time, though. "I only hope that we're not walking into another ambush."

"Me too," Veronyka whispered. It was hard to let Cid go, but it was only long enough so that they could board his airship that he'd hidden a little ways away from Black Brush.

Veronyka hadn't really let herself cry in the wagon, only silent tears slipping down her cheeks, shining in the moonlight, not wanting to alert anyone to her presence, not wanting anyone to comfort her when all she wanted to do was go back there, find Minfilia, and drag her out of the grip of the enemy. Her thoughts kept circling, wondering if she should have done something, if she could have done anything, but Teledgi had been so thorough in his trap, in his net, ensnaring them so effectively. Why couldn't the Echo have shown her that, why couldn't it have warned her? Or maybe she'd just been so caught up in adventuring, in her new relationship, but no, she couldn't regret that, she could never regret that.

On the airship, though, the tears came fast as Veronyka huddled near the side, her knees drawn up to her chest, tail wrapped over her feet, arms around her legs as sobs shook her body. She'd always been there for Minfilia, always after she'd rescued her, even when Nabriales had taken her, she'd still gone after her, leaving Moenbryda to suffer on the floor of the Solar. That thought sent fresh waves of pain through her, from the wound that would never heal, the wound of failure, of not being strong enough or fast enough, of not being able to stop Midgardsormr from stripping her of the blessing because maybe that would have been enough, enough power to destroy Nabriales without Moenbryda needing to sacrifice herself. None of that should have happened. And now they were off to Coerthas again, the last place that Veronyka had visited back when everything seemed okay. How could everything have changed so quickly?


End file.
